The Eaton Democrat. (Eaton, Ohio) 1875-1903, 1887-01-27

Have ideas less chaotic
OF American affairs. -Rdmolsy.
~~
MONSIEUR LIE CURE
The Mystery of q Picture at Last
Explained.
I met the Cure one evening as I was
returning home from the wood. where
i had been sketching. The fine old man
was standing on the doorstep of his
presbytere, looking toward the sea,
which at that moment was glorious be-
meath the setting sun. 1 bowed to him
as / passed, for his presence had always
inspired me with sympathy and respect,
and l knew how much this tribute
from a foreigner would crafty a MEM
Der Of that class, which the Republican
Government is bringing into disrespect
by constant prosecutions.
He returned my salute with such
kindly courtesy that l took the oppor-
tunity, which 1 had long desired, of
speaking to him.
"A lovely sight, Monsieur lie Cure"
] said, pointing to the sea.
ut is, indeed, monsieur" he an
swered, without looking round.
After awhile he added: sit is such
sights that reconcile one to this earth.
And yet. l do not know; one has al
ways the bitter certainty that very soon
the night will come, and all viii be
dark
"And, en- attendant" said, trying
to laugh away his evident melancholy,
..if l do not get home soon the night
and her darkness will come most GER
tainly; and its a breakneck path to
my house,
.sBut, monsieur" said the cure,
.'there is no hurry. 1 heard from the
village people that monsieur had ex-
pressed the desire to visit our church.
There is, indeed, little to see, but IT,
II should be most delighted" I an
swcred.
II will get the key" said he, leading
me into his simple parlor, and bidding
me sit down whilst he went upstairs
to fetch IT.
The room was one of the poorest in
point of decoration and furniture that
had seen in any house in the village;
and yet there was one object which by
its great beauty compensated for all
the unloveliness of the rest. 1t was
the picture of a young woman, painted
in oils. and signed by a painter who
about thirty years ago had been at the
summit of his art The girl represent
ed was most lovely, and it seemed to
nue. that her face was one which had
been the model of many other artists
as famous as the one who had painted
this portrait. A royalty feminine face,
and here clothed with that expression
of timidity. blushing and afraid, which
in some women is so sweet and so
strongly appeals to all that is noblest
and most manly in man.
This was my first impression; but, as
looked at it longer, the timidity, from
being subjective merely, seemed to
grow objective. 1t was not a timid
girl, it was a girl afraid. Her eyes
seemed to look with horror-for, on
still closer observation, the fear grew
into horror-on something that was not
represented in the picture. How could
it be, seeing that those fearful eyes
were looking out of the plan, straight
Q my head, who stood facing her, al
the wall behind me? The picture was
by far too fine q work of art for one te
suppose that any attempt had been
made to enhance its interest by an ex'
traordinary and theatrical mise-en'
scene, and I felt it would be an insult
to the great painter to turn round and
sec If any thing was visible to explain
the expression of those eyes. More
over it was the expression that held me
not the reason thereof. / am not o.
those who seek in every picture ar
illustration.
l had stood before it some time, sadly
~envious of the technique of the depart
ed hand, and wondering what angel
hand-the angel Raphael's, perhaps
had guided the painters fingers wheI
he had mixed that color of sun-kisset
: auburn that sung-and colors sing
from those clustering curls of hair
when the Cure came back into tn
room. / turned as l heard his step
and as / did so my eyes fell on the wal
on which my back had been turned
Directly opposite the picture, and il
the point of vision of its eyes, hung
rapier. As l looked closer I saw tina
the point of this sword was black-o
that ill-omened black that blood, lon,
since shed, does take. l almost fel
angry. Blood-stained rapier, OF chrome
Autograph of some hobgoblin, ghoul o
spccter, it annoyed me to think tina
any one should have ventured, with tn
most vulgar taste of melodramatic e
feet, to complete what was already S
sublimely and perfectly complete. ]
wa the act of a bourgeois of the boul
geois, uneasy and disturbed if tn
Seyres china statuet of a Vatican shel
herdess on this side of his Louis XIV
timepiece has not Oh the yon side of i
fronting her, as pendant. a languishin
Corrydon.
My annoyance was so real that / pal
Dut tittic dltohtioi y al Iidt tio Sui'
who had now greatly sunk in my e
teen, showed me and told me.
vaguely remember that he led n
through a ~cburchyard, where, by Il
grave of his predecessor, he pointe
out the plot of ground where he was
res. himself: that he told me that tt
church was many hundred years oil
and had been, dams lie temps, the lodi
of a company of Knights Templa
WHOSE bodies lay shrouded in stol
sspulchers in a remote part of the Gel
etery. The church was very uninte
esting to me in my preoccuratio
There were some fine Louis XI. candl
sticks in massive copper on n of t